


Just the Two of Us

by katikat



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Episode Related, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 22:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13820559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katikat/pseuds/katikat
Summary: Helman shoots Mac in that factory. Help comes from an unexpected source. A what-if story set in episode 215. Jack’s POV. (Unbeta'd)





	Just the Two of Us

He’s on the other side of the compound when he hears the shots. First, there’s the deafening blast of a shotgun, then the rapid-fire response of a handgun immediately afterwards. And Jack’s heart leaps into his throat because those sounds are coming from the direction where he left Mac. And he’s absolutely sure that none of those shots were fired by his partner. He turns and runs.

In his frantic haste, Jack takes the wrong turn twice, hitting locked doors and dead ends, so it takes him a while to get back -  _too long, too long!_  - and the first thing he sees as he approaches the big room where Mac was supposed to set up his trap, is a body on the floor, dressed in black, its feet in expensive leather shoes sticking out of the doorway.  _Helman!_

Jack’s first thought is to look for Mac, to find him, to get to him, but the instinct to render even a seemingly dead body harmless is too ingrained in him after years in the army, so the first thing he does is grab the shotgun out of Helman’s limp hands; besides, his own gun is almost empty and should the need arise–

His breath catches in his throat when he finally takes a look around. Because there, on the floor, there’s Mac lying there, unmoving, and Murdoc’s leaning over him with his back turned to Jack; he’s doing something and Mac’s not moving, not–

“Get away from him!” Jack roars, pumping the shotgun, a litany of  _no-no-no-no_ in his ears.

Murdoc throws him a glance over his shoulder but he doesn’t move. “Well, I can certainly do that. If you want Angus to bleed out, that is.”

With the shotgun pointed at the madman, Jack circles around him and his eyes turn wide when he sees what Murdoc’s doing. Mac’s lying on his stomach - his leather jacket is the only thing between his t-shirt clad form and the cold, cold floor - and Murdoc, who’s kneeling by his side, is pressing Mac’s bundled up shirt firmly against his back, against the wound in Mac’s shoulder. The blue fabric’s already soaked through with blood.

“Jack,” Murdoc says, throwing Jack a mildly irritated look, “under any other circumstances, I would find the pained noises MacGyver’s making quite titillating but seeing as I’m trying to keep him alive here, which is rather surprising even to me, I would appreciate it if you stopped gawking and helped.”

Jack growls and his finger twitches on the trigger.

But Murdoc seems unconcerned. “Before you do something that will bring you a very short satisfaction, indeed, need I remind you that there’s just the two of us,” he throws a look at the body of Helman and adds, “thankfully, and someone has to go and call for help? If you shoot me, Angus will bleed out because you can’t be in two places at once.”

Torn, Jack looks down at Mac. The kid’s face is paper white and his eyes are open to mere slits. He’s conscious but he’s definitely not all there. There’s no way Mac would be able fend off Murdoc in his current state, Jack can’t leave him in Murdoc’s hands! On the other hand, Murdoc’s right -  _damn him, damn him to hell!_  - someone needs to go get help and if Jack shoots the bastard or even just handcuffs him or locks him up somewhere safely, who’ll keep Mac from bleeding out? What should he do?!

Murdoc shifts a little, bundling up the shirt more tightly against Mac’s wound -  _Jesus, the kid’s shoulder looks shredded!_  - and Mac’s eyes flutter and a pain-filled moan passes through his parted lips. That decides.

“If you do something to him–” Jack warns Murdoc with a hard look.

Murdoc rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, you’ll kill me. I’m almost -  _almost!_  - tempted to do it just to see you try, Jack. But really. I know you’re not the brightest bulb in the box but if I wanted Angus dead - which I do but not right now, mind you, that would be boring - all I needed to do was just leave when I got rid of Helman. He caught MacGyver unaware, a shotgun blast to the back.” He shakes his head in disappointment. “He used to be so much more inventive back in the day.”

Then he looks up at Jack. “There’s the cop car he stole outside. You can use it to call for help.”

Alright, then. Jack quickly drops down into a crouch by Mac’s side and rest his hand on Mac’s head for a moment. “I’ll be right back, buddy, you hang on tight,” he tells Mac softly. Mac doesn’t react, his eyes remain closed and his breath keeps coming in short, shallow gasps.

Murdoc flashes Jack a wide grin, though, reptilian rather than earnest, and murmurs, “I’ll take good care of him, Jack, I promise.”

His words, his expression send shivers down Jack’s spine. He can’t believe he’s about to do this, that he really plans to leave the kid in this madman’s hands. But he has no choice. With one last look at Mac’s pale face, he gets up and runs.

* * *

The cop car  _is_ outside, yes. But there’s a dead body in the backseat which Murdoc somehow forgot to mention. The body of a  _deputy_! Considering that, Jack decides not to call 9-1-1 or dispatch. No, he calls Matty and lets her sort it all out. Dead buddies make cops twitchy and the last thing they need is for the local yahoos to shoot them  _all_ dead.

With Matty’s shrill “You left Mac alone with that lunatic?!” rebuke still ringing in his ears, Jack climbs out of the car heads for the trunk, for the emergency kit and blankets. He tries very hard not to look at the dead guy yet he can’t help himself. The body only makes his anxiety skyrocket and the litany of  _hurry-up-hurry-up-hurry-up_ kicks up a notch.

When he gets back, Murdoc’s still - quite surprisingly - there, he’s still pressing the bundled up shirt against the back of Mac’s shoulder. But Mac… Mac’s not just pale anymore, he’s as gray as his t-shirt.  _Jesus_.

Jack drops to his knees by Mac’s side and opens up the emergency kit to hand over fresh bandages to Murdoc - to  _Murdoc_ , he’s working  _with_ Murdoc to  _save_ Mac’s life! He still can’t wrap his mind around that so he makes a conscious decision to stop. Because that’s not important right now. The only thing that matters is saving Mac’s life.

When Murdoc takes the makeshift bandage off, Jack’s breath hitches again because Mac’s shoulder resembles minced meat and blood immediately starts welling up from the wound. Mac makes a soft sound of pain and Jack touches his head in reassurance. Then he quickly shakes out the blankets and covers Mac as best as he can.

“Hm,” Murdoc comments dispassionately as he peers down at the wound with a clinical expression, “it really doesn’t look good, Jackie boy. Maybe we should just drive him to the nearest hospital.”

Jack thought of that, sure, but since he has no idea where they actually are, he dismissed the idea. “No, Matty’s sending a chopper. Our guys will be here soon.”

Murdoc shrugs. “If you say so,” he replies and then he slaps a handful of pristine white gauze against the wound. His eyes gleam gleefully when Mac arches his back a little and gasps, scrambling with his right hand against the dirty floor.

“Hey, watch it!” Jack snaps and takes Mac’s hand in his, allowing the kid to hold onto him tight. “I can still shoot you. Remember I don’t need you anymore, now that our people are on their way.”

The moment he says it out loud, Jack realizes it’s true - and that it’s foolish of him to expect Murdoc to just sit here and wait for exfil to pick them up! He pulls out his gun and aims it at the maniac, making sure he’s safely out of reach.

But Murdoc just rolls his eyes again. “I thought we were over this, Jack. I’m not going anywhere.”

“And you expect me to believe that you plan on just waiting here for the boys in white hats to march you off to jail?” Jack asks him, his voice full of sarcasm and disbelief.

“Yes. Because you have something I value more than freedom,” Murdoc replies, staring straight at Jack, now completely serious.

“And that is?” Jack narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“My son, Jack.  _Cassian_.”

Jack laughs. “You think you’ll ever see him again?”

“I’m still here, trying to stop our boy genius from bleeding out when I could be running - and if I truly wanted to, you wouldn’t be able to stop me, Jack, believe me,” Murdoc assures him. “Don’t you think I deserve some recognition for that?”

“Recog–” Jack stammers, furiously. “If it weren’t for you and your-your twisted  _daddy issues_ ” –he waves his gun at the body of Helman– “Mac wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!”

Murdoc ponders it. “True,” he admits in the end. “It still doesn’t change the fact that I  _am_ doing my best to keep dear little Angus alive.” 

He throws the wad of blood soaked gauze away and slaps another pristine bundle against the wound. He really grinds it in this time and a quick smile flashes across his lips when Mac whines softly in pain.

Jack grits his teeth, feeling Mac’s hard grip on his hand. Murdoc’s enjoying this way too much, he’s enjoying Mac’s  _pain_ way too much, the stickiness of Mac’s blood on his gloved fingers. It makes Jack’s hackles rise, seeing Murdoc’s hands on Mac. This needs to stop, right now.

Jack’s about to drag Murdoc away from Mac - if he has to shoot him, so be it! - when he hears the soft  _whoop-whoop-whoop_ of a helicopter in the distance but growing louder by the second. Finally! The cavalry arrived.

Murdoc hears it, too, because he looks up at the ceiling, then back down at Jack. “Promise me I’ll get to see my son, Jack. Just once. One last time. We have the right to say goodbye somewhere that’s not prison,” he says.

And Jack knows that it’s a ruse, a lie,  _something_ , because Murdoc’s a maniac… but Jack’s always had a soft spot for boys and their fathers; his support of Mac’s search for his lost dad is testimony to that. And Cassian, that boy’s innocent and from what Jack saw, he truly loves his father. The kid deserves a proper closure.

Gritting his teeth and berating himself for being a fool, Jack mutters, “I’m  _not_ promising  _anything_.”

But he puts in a good word for him anyway. For Cassian’s sake.

* * *

Jack’s still waiting for Mac to wake up after his surgery when the news reaches him that Murdoc escaped - again! - and that he took his son with him. That he killed four of their agents on his way out.

Afterwards, Jack just sits there for a long, long time, by Mac’s bedside, and he stares at the kid, pale and hurt but  _alive_. Somehow still alive.

_“… you wouldn’t be able to stop me, Jack…”  
_

And the truth of those words makes him feel sick.


End file.
